Edward Vi.

king of England, deserves notice here
as a young prince of great promise and high accomplishments, rather than as a sovereign, although in the latter
character he afforded every presage of excellence, had his
life been spared. He was the only son of Henry VIII. by
| queen Jane Seymour, and was born in 1538. From his
maternal uncle, the duke of Somerset, he imbibed a zeal
for the progress of the reformation. The ambitious policy
of his courtiers, however, rendered his reign upon the
whole turbulent, although his own disposition was peculiarly mild and benevolent, and amidst all these confusions,
the reformation of religion made very great progress. He
was at last, when in his sixteenth year, seized with the
measles, and afterwards. with the small-pox, the effects of
which he probably never quite recovered; and as he was
making a progress through some parts of the kingdom, he
was afflicted with a cough, which proved obstinate, and
which gave way neither to regimen nor mexlicines. Several
fatal symptoms of a consumption appeared, and though it
was hoped, that as the season advanced, his youth and
temperance might get the better of the malady, his subjects saw, with great concern, his bloom and vigour sensibly decay. After the settlement of the crown, which
had been effected with the greatest difficulty, his health
rapidly declined, and scarcely a hope was entertained of
his recovery. His physicians were dismissed by the earl of
Northumberland’s advice, and the young king was entrusted to the hands of an ignorant woman, who undertook
to restore him to health in a very short time but the medicines prescribed were found useless violent symptoms
were greatly aggravated and on the 6th of July, 1553, he
expired at Greenwich, in the sixteenth year of his age,
and the seventh of his reign. The excellent disposition of
this young prince, and his piety and zeal in the prolestant
cause, have rendered his memory dear to the nation. He
possessed mildness of disposition, application to study and
business, a capacity to learn and judge, and an attachment
to equity and justice. He is to this day commemorated as
the founder of some of the most splendid charities in the
metropolis.

Many authors have preserved accounts of this prince’s
writings. Cardan talks much of his parts and learning.
Holland affirms that he not only wrote notes from the lectures or sermons he heard, but composed a comedy, entitled “The Whore of Babylon,” in Latin. It is more
certain, howevar, that he wrote “The Sum of a conference
with the Lord Admiral,” which, in his own hand, is extant
among the Ashmolean Mss.; “A method for the proceedings in the council,” in the Cottonian library; and
| “King Edward VIth’s own arguments against the pope’s
supremacy, &c.” translated out of the original, written
with the king’s own hand in French, and still preserved.
To which are added some remarks upon his life and reign,
in vindication of his memory from Dr. Heylin’s severe and
unjust censure, Lond. 1682. He drew himself the rough
draught of a sumptuary law, which is preserved by Strype;
and an account of a progress he made, which he sent to
one of his particular favourites, called Barnahy Fiupatrick,
then in France. The same author has given some specimens of his Latin epistles and orations, and an account of
two books written by him; the first before he was twelve
years of age, called “L’Encontre les Abus du Monde,” a
tract of thirty-seven leaves in French, against the abuses
of popery; it is dedicated to the protector, his uncle; is
corrected by his French tutor, and attested by him to be of
the king’s own composition. An original copy of this
tract is noiv in the British Museum. The other, preserved
in the library of Trinity college, Cambridge, is, “A Translation into French of several passages of Scripture, which
forbid idolatry, or worshipping of false gods.” Tanner
giresa list of Edward’s letters that are extant; and there is
a large folio ms. in the British Museum, containing his
exercises in Greek, Latin, and English, with his signature
to each of them, as king of England. Cardan says that at
die age of fifteen, our prince had learned seven languages,
and was perfect in English, French, and Latin. Cardan
adds, " he spoke Latin with as much readiness and elegance as myself. He was a pretty good logician; he understood natural philosophy and music, and played upon
the lute. The good and the learned had formed the highest
expectations of him, from the sweetness of his disposition,
and the excellence of his talents. He had begun to favour
learning before he was a great scholar himself, and to be
acquainted with it before he could make use of it. Alas!
how prophetically did he once repeat to me,

' Immodicis brevis est aetas, et rara senecrus’."

Bishop Burnet adds to this high character the following
pleasing anecdote. King Edward VI. gave very early indications of a good disposition to learning, and of a most
wonderful probity of mind, and above all, of great respect
to religion, and every thing relating to it; so that when he
was once in one of his childish diversions, somewhat
|
beingto be reached at, that he and his companions were too low
for, one of them laid on the floor a great Bible that was in
the room, to step on, which he beholding with great indignation, took up the Bible himself, and gave over his
play for that time. The same historian has printed a new
service, which was translated by the young monarch from
English into Latin, with a view to abolish certain superstitious ceremonies used at the installation of the knights of
the garter. Burnet has also published, what does Edward
most credit of all, his “Diary or Journal.” In this we
have a clear proof of his sense, knowledge, and goodness,
far beyond what could have been expected at his years. It
gives, says lord Orford, hopes of his proving a good king,
as in so green an age he seemed resolved to be acquainted
with his subjects and his kingdom. The original of this is
in the Cottonian library, with the paper already mentioned,
in the king’s hand-writing, which contains hints and directions delivered to the privy council, Jan. 19, 1551. Mr.
Park has reprinted this curious paper in his edition of the
“Royal and Noble Authors,” to which this article is considerably indebted. 1

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